Here is a practical, step by step guide to building a foot-powered
lathe for light duty wood turning. You can build your own treadle
lathe by following the well illustrated steps presented in this
compact book.
You can purchase the Print edition in Color (a great gift idea!),
or Black & White; or digitally as an eBook.

I also provide information on some non-turning uses for the lathe
and sources for, and some shop-made alternatives to, the parts you
may not have. All of the wood needed to build your lathe can be
found at the local lumber yard or home center. Use ‘Make Your Own
Treadle Lathe’ to make a near-duplicate of my lathe or as
inspiration to build the unique human-powered lathe of your dreams.
—————————————— From the Introduction…

Why this book exists: During the twenty years or so since I built
this foot-powered treadle lathe, I have received many requests for
drawings or plans. The lathe has been used as part of our
traditional woodworking demonstrations and it never fails to draw a
crowd. Of course, the reason the lathe exists is because I felt a
need for it as a tool.

Design considerations:
Some of the main considerations when designing the lathe were:
• Human powered – our solar energy system was pretty small at the
time
• Size – it had to be less than 42" tall to fit into our old truck
• Compact – since it would sit in our small shop most of the time, a
small footprint was essential
• Portable – as in not too cumbersome or heavy
• Functional – it had to perform the basic duties of a light-duty
lathe
• Adaptable – I had in mind several non-traditional uses for the
tool, such as sanding
———————————————
Many unique and usable lathes have been built using earlier editions
of this book. This current edition provides you with the
instructions, photos and illustrations, and inspiration to build
your own treadle lathe!

View lathes that were inspired by this book, as
well as updates to the book.